Torsion door hinge



Sept. 5, 1967 J. 5. BOOTH TORSION DOOR HINGE Filed March so, 1964 FIG?) \JOHN' S. BOOTH ATTORNEY 3,339,225 TORSION DOOR HINGE John Summer Booth, 1400 S. Haskell Ave., Dallas, Tex. 75223 Filed Mar. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 355,652 3 Claims. (Cl. 16-151) This invention relates to a hinge and more particularly to an internal torque-applying hinge for a refrigerator door adapted to permit ready installation and removal of the door.

In refrigeration where foods are displayed through windows or panels, such panels generally may be part of operative doors which are repeatedly opened for removing suoh foods. Where such units are employed in food dispensing operations, the door must be readily and easily operable. In order to conserve refrigeration energy and to maintain the foods in the desired state the door should be self-closing. In the past, refrigerator doors have been provided with external door springs or various types of springbiased hinges. The present invention is directed to a new and improved internal spring-biased hinge which is convenient in installation and which permits installation thereof or removal of the door from the door frame for service with a minimum of difficulty. At the same time, the hinge provides a positive bias on the door to maintain it in a closed or latched position. The hinge is relatively simple in construction, thus making it highly useful and desirable for the operation above described.

In accordance with the invention, a door hinge includes a tube adapted to be located in the e'nd of the door with a slotted stop fixed in the end of the tube and a slotted cap rotatable in the mouth of the tube with -a torsion spring coupled to the stop and cap by registration with the slots therein. A thrust bearing is positioned on the cap between the head of the cap and the mouth of the tube. The head of the cap fits in a cup mounted on the door frame. The cap is adapted to be rotatably biased to torque the spring. The head is then locked in the cup at the selected bias point. A threaded member engages the wall of the tube transversely and extends therethrough into an annular slot in the cap to lock the tube in the door and the cap in the tube, while permitting the cap to rotate relative to the tube.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference may now be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a self-service refrigerator;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of a corner of one of the refrigerator doors showing the hinge; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, there is illustrated an upright refrigerator unit 10 having three doors 11, 12, and 13, which are located at the front of the unit. The doors are glazed to permit visual inspection of the contents. The unit 10 is a commercial type refrigerator conveniently adapted to be used in marketing of groceries and edible foodstuffs which require maintenance at lowered temperatures in order to preserve them. The doors 11, 12, and 13 are positioned at a sufficient height that all contents of the refrigerator can be readily viewed. The bottom of the door preferably is at a level to permit the location of the refrigeration elements below the floor of the unit so that a unitary package may be provided.

The doors 11, 12, and 13 are mounted in a door frame 15. The frame for each door is larger than the door. The door 11, for example, is spaced from the frame both at the top and the bottom thereof. A pin 16, fixed at the United States Patent 3,339,225 Patented Sept. 5, 1967 frame 15, extends downwardly into a bushing (not shown) in the upper end of the door 11. The door hinge 17 of the present invention is positioned at the bottom of the door 11. The hinge system is such that the door is installed by raising the door 11 upwardly over the pin 16. The bottom of the door is then moved into a normal position in the frame 15 and is lowered for registration of binge components hereinafter to be described. The door can then be removed merely by raising it and moving the bottom outward and then lowering the door to disengage pin 16. The door is provided with suitable gaskets on the inner face to form an airtight seal with the door frame 15.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3, the lower left corner of the door 11 is shown in section with the hinge 17 being shown in detail. The hinge includes an elongated metal cylinder 21 mounted in a hole 22 in the vertical door stile 23 with the mouth flush with the lower end of the door frame. A plug or stop 25 is welded into the upper end of tube 21. The plug 25 has a transverse slot 26 in the lower end thereof. A torsion spring 28 is mounted within the tube 2.6 with the upper eyelet of the spring 28 registering into slot 26. The lower end of the tube 21 is closed by a slotted cap 30. The lower eyelet of the spring 28 registers in the slot 3-2 of the cap 30. The cap 30 has an annular groove 34 therein about midway of its length and an enlarged head 36 which has a plurality of radial holes 38 extending therethrou-gh. A thrust bearing 40 is mounted on the cap 30 and rests upon the upper shoulder of the head 36. The upper surface of the head 36 and the lower surface of the thrust bearing 40 are preferably flush with the lower edge 18 of door 11. The tube 21 and the cap 30 are restrained into position by a screw 42 which extends through the door frame 23 and threadedly engages a lateral !part in the wall of the tube 21. The end of the screw 42 extends into the slot 34. By this means the tube 21 is secured within the hole 22 and the cap 30 is restrained in its position in the tube 21 while being permitted to rotate within the tube.

A relatively short cup 46 is mounted on the door frame 15 immediately below the head 36. The inner diameter of the cup 46 is such as to permit the head 36 to be inserted therein. The cup 46 has a short stem 48 which is welded into a hole 50 in the door frame 15. The cup 46 has a slot 52 therein which faces the front of the unit 10 and extends through an arc of about at least and preferably about In fitting the door 11 into the door frame, the door is moved upwardly over the pin 16 of FIGURE 1 with the pin extending into a suitable bushing in the upper end of the member 23. With the door frame larger than the door, the door 11 may be raised to a height illustrated in FIG- URE 2 such that the head 36 may clear the upper surface of the cup 46 and may the'n be lowered until the head 36 registers in the cup 46. In this position, the door 11 will swing freely with the thrust bearing 40 providing a low friction support for the door. In order to apply a torsional force between frame 28 and the door 11 to maintain door 11 normally closed, the head 36 is rotated in the cup 46 by the insertion of pins into the holes 38. A pair of pins may be successively inserted and rotated to rotate the head 36 to such point as will apply a predetermined tension to spring 28. One pin 38a may the'n be left in the hole at a given position bearing against the end of the slot 52 as a biased detent means to maintain a desired torque on the spring 28.

To remove the door 11, the pins may be again worked to relieve the spring 28 of tension. The door may then merely be lifted up so that the head 36 clears the top of the cup 46, the door may then be swung outwardly from the door frame and lowered to withdraw the pin 16 from the door 11.

It will now be seen that the door and hinge construction is relatively simple and yet provides a positive closing force onto the door. The spring 28 is accommodated by the slotted plug 25 and slotted cap 30. The tube 21 is retained in the door by the screw 42. which also maintains the position of the slotted cap 30.

Having described the invention in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that rfurther modifications may now suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A spring-biased door hinge system which comprises:

(a) an elongated cylinder adapted to be inserted into the end of a door stile having a lateral port in the region of one end thereof;

(b) a torsion spring in said cylinder anchored at one end thereof against rotation at a point adjacent to the other end of said cylinder;

(0) an insert extending into said cylinder engaging the other end of said spring, said insert having an enlarged head with a plurality of radially directed holes therein and an annular groove located in registration with said port;

(d) a thrust bearing encircling said insert between the end of said cylinder and said head;

(e) a cup adapted to be mounted on the door frame at the axis of said cylinder to receive said head, said cup being peripherally slotted;

(f) means received by said holes extending through said slot to e'ngage said cup to apply a torque from said frame to said cylinder through said spring; and

(g) anchor means secured to said stile extending through said port into said groove to maintain said insert in said cylinder and said cylinder in said stile while permitting rotation of said insert relative to said cylinder.

2. The combination set fOl'th in claim 1 in which said port is threaded and said anchor means threadedly engages said port and extends into said groove to maintain said insert in said cylinder while permitting rotation thereof relative to said cylinder.

3. The combination set [forth in claim 1 wherein said spring has a loop on each end thereof, wherein a slotted plug is secured at one end of said cylinder and receives and anchors the loop at one end of said spring, and wherein a slotted end of said insert opposite said head re ceives and anchors the loop at the other end of said spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,171 3/1913 Henry.

FOREIGN PATENTS 29,217 9/ 1931 Australia.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiner.

D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SPRING-BIASED DOOR HINGE SYSTEM WHICH COMPRISES: (A) AN ELONGATED CYLINDER ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED INTO THE END OF A DOOR STILE HAVING A LATERAL PORT IN THE REGION OF ONE END THEREOF; (B) A TORSION SPRING IN SAID CYLINDER ANCHORED AT ONE END THEREOF AGAINST ROTATION AT A POINT ADJACENT TO THE OTHER END OF SAID CYLINDER; (C) AN INSERT EXTENDING INTO SAID CYLINDER ENGAGING THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING, SAID INSERT HAVING AN ENLARGED HEAD WITH A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY DIRECTED HOLES THEREIN AND AN ANNULAR GROOVE LOCATED IN REGISTRATION WITH SAID PORT; (D) A THRUST BEARING ENCIRCLING SAID INSERT BETWEEN THE END OF SAID CYLINDER AND SAID HEAD; (E) A CUP ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON THE DOOR FRAME AT THE AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER TO RECEIVE SAID HEAD, SAID CUP BEING PERIPHERALLY SLOTTED; (F) MEANS RECEIVED BY SAID HOLES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLOT TO ENGAGE SAID CUP TO APPLY A TORQUE FROM SAID FRAME TO SAID CYLINDER THROUGH SAID SPRING; AND (G) ANCHOR MEANS SECURED TO SAID STILE EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PORT INTO SAID GROOVE TO MAINTAIN SAID INSERT IN SAID CYLINDER AND SAID CYLINDER IN SAID STILE WHILE PERMITTING ROTATION OF SAID INSERT RELATIVE TO SAID CYLINDER. 